Posted: 8/31/15 at 8:16pm
If anyone hasn't seen this post from Annoying Actor Friend, it has some interesting points. Personally, I like the idea of a yearly dimming to honor everyone in the industry who passed the year before.
Posted: 8/31/15 at 9:11pm
I personally do like the idea of a collective dimming for those who don't get their own night. Maybe right before the Saturday evening performance the night before the Tony Awards, to cover everyone during that season.
Posted: 8/31/15 at 9:11pm
Call_me_jorge said: "If anyone is either at today's or tonight's show can you report back on the acting?"
I was at the matinee performance on 8/29. It was an incredibly stunning performance, per usual; in fact, I felt it was better than the first time I had seen it with this cast. I really had no idea... until Ramin announced it during curtain call. I bawled like a baby. It messed me up for the entire weekend. I didn't realize how hard I had cried until my eyes were swollen shut when I woke up the next day. The cast are utter professionals. I wouldn't have disagreed if the performance was cancelled but I'm being selfish because I REALLY wish I had not gone now... I have no idea how they went on. Like I said, I was completely and utterly wrecked by the news, and I didn't personally know him nor had I seen him perform live as Valjean. But he seemed like such a genuine guy and I was excited for him... Just the night before I had been re-watching his performance of "The Confrontation" with Lin-Manual Miranda, which had become one of my favorite videos. 
Posted: 8/31/15 at 10:26pm
By coincidence, I had three friends at that first matinee (two of whom don't even know the third). All of them told me they didn't expect the show to hit them that hard, that they couldn't imagine how the cast got through that, and I don't think two of them had heard about Kyle beforehand.
Posted: 9/1/15 at 5:17am
No! I'm in shock. I have been out of touch for a few days and the last I heard he was getting ready to go on and make history. He was my youngest son's age. I didn't know Kyle, but I'm sitting here with tears running down my face.
As we say in Judaism, "May his memory always be a blessing."
Audrey
Posted: 9/1/15 at 7:25am
A postive light in all of this: the gofundme account set up to create an endowed scholarship at BW was fully funded in 1 day.
Posted: 9/1/15 at 6:46pm
It's lovely that Hamilton is joining Les Mis in dimming their lights.
Posted: 9/1/15 at 11:09pm
I was at Les Miz tonight. Alfie gave a really nice curtain speech thanking everyone and welcoming the new cast members, especially as the last few days had been "distressing." Then he mentioned the dimming and that everyone was welcome to join.
Posted: 9/1/15 at 11:48pm
The Music Box also "dimmed" it's lights tonight (really since there isn't a show, they don't turn the lights on, but they did show Kyle's picture on the screen). I don't remember seeing that the Music Box was doing it as well.
Posted: 9/2/15 at 12:11am
Where's the push for a Joshua Park dimming? Hmm
Posted: 9/2/15 at 2:23am
No offense against Park but he hasn't been on Bway since 2001. Kyle's currency has more resonance at this moment.
Posted: 9/2/15 at 7:34am
Wilmingtom said: "No offense against Park but he hasn't been on Bway since 2001. Kyle's currency has more resonance at this moment.
And if we're being brutally honest: neither's passing, however tragic, merits a dimming. Jean-Baptiste's Broadway career spanned two months. We can talk until we're blue in the face about the career he would have had, but dimming the lights on Broadway has never been meant as a gesture of what might have been.
Posted: 9/2/15 at 8:37am
And in that 2 months, KJB made history for being the youngest and first African American Broadway JVJ. I think that counts for something, no arguments.
Anyway no other theater even dimmed except for Les Miz. And very classy of Hamilton to also dim their lights.
Updated On: 9/2/15 at 08:37 AM
Posted: 9/2/15 at 8:40am
I don't think anyone who was there last night (either at the show or outside after) could make an argument that what we saw shouldn't have happened. And who says the definition of something can't be somewhat malliable?
Posted: 9/2/15 at 8:50am
I think it was an appropriate and touching gesture that the one theater where he actually performed dimmed their lights in his memory. Perhaps the Annoying Actor Friend blog has a point: their should be an annual in memoriam dimming of the lights, to acknowledge all those lost over the course of a year.
Posted: 9/2/15 at 10:48pm
LizzieCurry said: "I don't think anyone who was there last night (either at the show or outside after) could make an argument that what we saw shouldn't have happened. And who says the definition of something can't be somewhat malliable?
THIS
"
Posted: 9/3/15 at 8:46am
LizzieCurry said: "I don't think anyone who was there last night (either at the show or outside after) could make an argument that what we saw shouldn't have happened. And who says the definition of something can't be somewhat malliable?"
I concur. As I was in the city on Tuesday evening, I made it a point to go down there. It was a very moving tribute that choked me up, although I didn't have the pleasure of meeting Kyle or seeing him perform in person. It was the clip of him performing with Lin Manuel Miranda that brought him to my attention.
Posted: 10/1/15 at 2:36am
Just found this on youtube: "Norm Lewis performed in honor of James Earl Jones at the American Theatre Wing gala, September 28, 2015, dedicating this performance of 'Bring Him Home' from Les Miserables to Kyle Jean-Baptiste"
(This includes Norm's verbal dedication and then the beginning and end of the song, but the cut in the middle of the song is rough on the ears, so be prepared.)
